Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

stickguy · April 2021

says right at the bottom, down payment $4,000

xwesx · April 2021

henryn said:

Didn't I just see this in a movie? Yeah, it even won several academy awards!

I must admit, I'm stumped on that one! However, it sounds like a good movie; at least, if it was a biopic of one of my early jaunts in the Econoline, it would have been quite entertaining!

xwesx · April 2021

cdnpinhead said:

xwesx said:
. . . just in case the border agents raise a stink. . .
What's the current deal driving from AK to the lower 48, or the other way around?

Last I heard the borders were closed and, unless you were a Canadian citizen, you weren't getting in. Then if you were (as I am), you have to cool your heels for two weeks at astronomical expense to prove that you were worthy.

Gotta love the drama teacher. His dad wasn't so bad, but jeez. . .

I don't know. However, the information I'm hearing is that Alaskans may pass through as long as they keep to themselves and don't dally (that's the essence of it). And, by July? I'm not even worried about it.

tifighter · April 2021

Sidenote - do we know what this 'Member' means?

tifighter · April 2021

Probably should have said wrong answers only, but this is a family show.

xwesx · April 2021

oldfarmer50 said:

explorerx4 said:
Rock salt? No wonder your vehicles rust away.
Sealed bags. In upstate NY you can get all the rust you need from the outside.

The only trick is that you need to keep adding another bag every couple of years to make up for the lost steel that flakes off and ends up on the road! Otherwise, your total weight steadily drops (and so does your traction).

breld · April 2021

carnaught said:

breld said:
This is the only picture I could find of the Polestar 2 in the Thunder exterior and the 20" wheels. Hard to really see the wheels at this angle, but I test drove 3 different models and got to see the wheel options in person and definitely liked these ones the best. Enough to give up any additional comfort in ride quality over the standard 19" wheels (though I can't say there was much discernible difference in comfort on my limited test drive experiences).

Curious - where is the model made?

China.

xwesx · April 2021

breld said:
This is the only picture I could find of the Polestar 2 in the Thunder exterior and the 20" wheels. Hard to really see the wheels at this angle, but I test drove 3 different models and got to see the wheel options in person and definitely liked these ones the best. Enough to give up any additional comfort in ride quality over the standard 19" wheels (though I can't say there was much discernible difference in comfort on my limited test drive experiences).

Looks quite elegant from that angle! I'm sure it is going to be a hoot to drive (and, hopefully, "own").

xwesx · April 2021

stickguy said:
I really hope I don’t need to shop until supply and demand settles out. This would be the time to have a spare old car or toy lying around!

I have several. I can share. Are you up for driving it home?

ab348 · April 2021

tifighter said:
Sidenote - do we know what this 'Member' means?

I have only seen “Member” labels so far. If someone appears suddenly sporting “Grand Poo-bah” badges I might get concerned.

xwesx · April 2021

tifighter said:
Probably should have said wrong answers only, but this is a family show.

It is a funny stamp to have on the bar, for sure, because every person has the same thing other than Hosts, which, IIRC, say "Host." I would think they could have other ranks, though I imagine it is just a Vanilla forum feature that Edmunds basically doesn't use.

breld · April 2021

xwesx said:

breld said:
This is the only picture I could find of the Polestar 2 in the Thunder exterior and the 20" wheels. Hard to really see the wheels at this angle, but I test drove 3 different models and got to see the wheel options in person and definitely liked these ones the best. Enough to give up any additional comfort in ride quality over the standard 19" wheels (though I can't say there was much discernible difference in comfort on my limited test drive experiences).

Looks quite elegant from that angle! I'm sure it is going to be a hoot to drive (and, hopefully, "own").

Thanks! Truthfully, if Volvo made an all electric version of the S60, I'd prefer that as I love that design.

I don't know if it's because the Polestar is on the XC40 platform, but it has a raised look at it, like the old S60 Cross Country or the Outback sedan. It's slightly awkward, but the higher position does make for a more comfortable ingress/egress.

stickguy · April 2021

they are "moderators"

stickguy · April 2021

xwesx said:

stickguy said:
I really hope I don’t need to shop until supply and demand settles out. This would be the time to have a spare old car or toy lying around!
I have several. I can share. Are you up for driving it home?

I think that might be a bit past my tolerance these days. Maybe the Q7 would be comfy enough. If you can guarantee it won't break!

one of the Youtube guys (Vermonter) posted a video recently of driving from Vermont to Fairbanks. In March I think. Lot of snow in that trip! IIRC the only place they could cross into Canada was in N. Dakota. Going from Canada to Alaska seemed to be no problem. Not sure how they are getting back though.

xwesx · April 2021

breld said:

Thanks! Truthfully, if Volvo made an all electric version of the S60, I'd prefer that as I love that design.

I don't know if it's because the Polestar is on the XC40 platform, but it has a raised look at it, like the old S60 Cross Country or the Outback sedan. It's slightly awkward, but the higher position does make for a more comfortable ingress/egress.

Sidenote: Thanks for clarifying, @stickguy !

With the the electric platform, presumably flat across the bottom of the car like most other electrics, I think they can get away with more uprightness without sacrificing handling as much due to the extremely low center of gravity. More Subaru, than Subaru! LOL

From the angle of that photo, though, it doesn't look awkwardly tall.

Some cars work better in "tall" form than others. With Crosstrek / Impreza, I feel like the Impreza looks like it has its legs chopped off just because of the big wheel openings and long, slab sides hanging down so close to the ground. The Crosstrek is much better balanced in appearance. For Volvos, the S vs. XC variants may not have the same mileage....

rny421 · April 2021

@breld - Congrats on the Polestar deal! Given that we know that you will likely only be keeping it for 12-18 months, maybe one of us will scoop it up when you inevitably get bored (which I fully support your habit)

breld · April 2021

I suppose I can cancel my reservations/orders for the Rivian and Tesla.

Or...should I?

xwesx · April 2021

stickguy said:

xwesx said:

stickguy said:
I really hope I don’t need to shop until supply and demand settles out. This would be the time to have a spare old car or toy lying around!
I have several. I can share. Are you up for driving it home?
I think that might be a bit past my tolerance these days. Maybe the Q7 would be comfy enough. If you can guarantee it won't break!

one of the Youtube guys (Vermonter) posted a video recently of driving from Vermont to Fairbanks. In March I think. Lot of snow in that trip! IIRC the only place they could cross into Canada was in N. Dakota. Going from Canada to Alaska seemed to be no problem. Not sure how they are getting back though.

March! Yeah, wicked snow in March this year. My back *still* hurts! Haha.

"Guarantee" it won't break? You're such a laugh! But, since I just had it fixed a thousand miles ago, chances are pretty good for it to hold out. I'm betting on it not breaking, anyway, because I'm planning to drive it around 10,000 miles between July and September, and much of that may be pulling a trailer as well.

xwesx · April 2021

breld said:
I suppose I can cancel my reservations/orders for the Rivian and Tesla.

Or...should I?

I vote "no." It's only a few more months! Plus, your wife and kids may want one (or two) after they get some seat time in the Volvo....

au1994 · April 2021

Just push out the Tesla and then you can swap the Polestar for the Tesla.

qbrozen · April 2021

breld said:

qbrozen said:

breld said:
That $549/month advertised deal includes a $4,000 down payment from the lessor (I made no down payment).

Hmmm...mine doesn’t have that. I posted all the fine print. No DP. I wonder if NJ is that drastically different from CO.

Unless what you are looking at includes those fees I talked about and your taxes.

That could be with everything, though, like I suggested. I don't see any asterisk or fine print about extra charges and fees.

But, regardless, we're getting away from the point, which is YOUR deal is most certainly not $7500 less. It COULD be they are passing along only a portion of the fed incentive to most lessors, and you are benefiting from an error that gave you an extra $xxxx. But not a full $7500 benefit.

kyfdx · April 2021

qbrozen said:

breld said:

qbrozen said:

breld said:
That $549/month advertised deal includes a $4,000 down payment from the lessor (I made no down payment).

Hmmm...mine doesn’t have that. I posted all the fine print. No DP. I wonder if NJ is that drastically different from CO.

Unless what you are looking at includes those fees I talked about and your taxes.

That could be with everything, though, like I suggested. I don't see any asterisk or fine print about extra charges and fees.

But, regardless, we're getting away from the point, which is YOUR deal is most certainly not $7500 less. It COULD be they are passing along only a portion of the fed incentive to most lessors, and you are benefiting from an error that gave you an extra $xxxx. But not a full $7500 benefit.

$4000 less upfront
$1500 more in payments for $4000 higher MSRP
Plus acquisition fee and taxes.

Looks to me like he got the full $7500 benefit.

oldfarmer50 · April 2021

xwesx said:

oldfarmer50 said:

explorerx4 said:
Rock salt? No wonder your vehicles rust away.
Sealed bags. In upstate NY you can get all the rust you need from the outside.
The only trick is that you need to keep adding another bag every couple of years to make up for the lost steel that flakes off and ends up on the road! Otherwise, your total weight steadily drops (and so does your traction).

LOL, yes but at some point anything you put in the back will drop through the rust holes so it’s an exercise in futility.

roadburner · April 2021

breld said:
So I just signed the paperwork for my lease of the Polestar 2. I should take delivery of it in the next week or so.

If you don’t remember, I was the first customer to step into the Polestar Denver “space” to take a closer look. My interest was already at a high level, but being there and speaking with the salesman and manager convinced me to place their first order.

What was also motivating was the lease estimate the manager provided was way lower than I expected, as they included the $7,500 fed tax incentive as a rebate. I was skeptical of that, as my understanding was the tax incentive was baked into the residual - 63% for a 39 month lease. I asked the question, but the sales manager was certain that the incentive was a rebate off the cap cost.

So for weeks now I was just waiting for them to come back and tell me of the error, apologize profusely and then offer some reasonable incentive for me to keep the order (like $1-2k off).

First the sales manager provided me with a draft of the lease contract - $7,500 rebate included. Then Sunday I was provided with most of the sales documents in docusign form - the lease terms included the $7,500 rebate. And today I received via FedEx the final lease contract...$7,500 rebate included.

I called her to ask about some other questions, and she ended up confessing to me that she was told by Polestar (Volvo Finance I imagine?) the $7,500 was accounted for in the residual, and they were questioning why it was shown as a rebate. According to her, she insisted that is what she had promised the buyer all this time and they agreed to honor it.

Not gonna lie - I feel a little guilty like I got away with something. But I actually asked a few times about the $7,500 rebate, to the point that I was afraid I was insulting the manager and her firm belief that it was included as a rebate (she came from the dealership network’s Audi store, where that is how it was treated).

Don't feel guilty; you asked and they didn't know. It's not your job to prepare their lease contracts.

qbrozen · April 2021

kyfdx said:

qbrozen said:

breld said:

qbrozen said:

breld said:
That $549/month advertised deal includes a $4,000 down payment from the lessor (I made no down payment).

Hmmm...mine doesn’t have that. I posted all the fine print. No DP. I wonder if NJ is that drastically different from CO.

Unless what you are looking at includes those fees I talked about and your taxes.

That could be with everything, though, like I suggested. I don't see any asterisk or fine print about extra charges and fees.

But, regardless, we're getting away from the point, which is YOUR deal is most certainly not $7500 less. It COULD be they are passing along only a portion of the fed incentive to most lessors, and you are benefiting from an error that gave you an extra $xxxx. But not a full $7500 benefit.
$4000 less upfront
$1500 more in payments for $4000 higher MSRP
Plus acquisition fee and taxes.

Looks to me like he got the full $7500 benefit.

buuuuttt... we don't have proof that the $4k doesn't include fees and taxes. I'm certainly not going to click to follow through with the lease to find out.

And I'm not really following the math. As I calculated before, the higher MSRP and greater miles is about $1600 difference. Fees maybe another $1200. @breld 's monthly didn't include taxes, so we can leave that out of it. If we forget the fine print on the advertised deal makes no mention of a DP and assume the calculator that claims DP is missing the fine print to add fees, we could, in the extreme, say there is $6800 missing between the 549 ad and breld's 563 payment. That $14/mo is roughly $500 cap. So $6300 difference ... IF the ad indeed involves a mystery $4k DP on top of the other stuff mentioned in the fine print.

Please note, I'm taking NOTHING away from breld's deal. I already said it is great. I'm just questioning the sincerity of the sales crew.

kyfdx · April 2021

@qbrozen

buuuuttt... we don't have proof that the $4k doesn't include fees and taxes.

Michaell · April 2021

roadburner said:

breld said:
So I just signed the paperwork for my lease of the Polestar 2. I should take delivery of it in the next week or so.

If you don’t remember, I was the first customer to step into the Polestar Denver “space” to take a closer look. My interest was already at a high level, but being there and speaking with the salesman and manager convinced me to place their first order.

What was also motivating was the lease estimate the manager provided was way lower than I expected, as they included the $7,500 fed tax incentive as a rebate. I was skeptical of that, as my understanding was the tax incentive was baked into the residual - 63% for a 39 month lease. I asked the question, but the sales manager was certain that the incentive was a rebate off the cap cost.

So for weeks now I was just waiting for them to come back and tell me of the error, apologize profusely and then offer some reasonable incentive for me to keep the order (like $1-2k off).

First the sales manager provided me with a draft of the lease contract - $7,500 rebate included. Then Sunday I was provided with most of the sales documents in docusign form - the lease terms included the $7,500 rebate. And today I received via FedEx the final lease contract...$7,500 rebate included.

I called her to ask about some other questions, and she ended up confessing to me that she was told by Polestar (Volvo Finance I imagine?) the $7,500 was accounted for in the residual, and they were questioning why it was shown as a rebate. According to her, she insisted that is what she had promised the buyer all this time and they agreed to honor it.

Not gonna lie - I feel a little guilty like I got away with something. But I actually asked a few times about the $7,500 rebate, to the point that I was afraid I was insulting the manager and her firm belief that it was included as a rebate (she came from the dealership network’s Audi store, where that is how it was treated).
Don't feel guilty; you asked and they didn't know. It's not your job to prepare their lease contracts.

I've known, since @breld placed the order, that this was likely going to happen. The RV was way too high for there to be an incentive to represent the tax credit - banks will do one or the other, but not both.

The lease incentives on the Audi e-Tron, for example, are between $12-15K, based on region and trim. But, the 36/10 residual is 49% (Premium or Prem+ trim) or 45% (Prestige trim). On a vehicle with an MSRP north of $60K, that difference in residual is huge, and the incentive makes up the difference.

Volvo / Polestar was under no obligation to honor the incentive, but I suspect they did so for goodwill purposes.

breld · April 2021

Alrighty - I was resisting the urge to do this, but I'm an accountant and like reconciliations...

My car, at an MSRP of $63,900, 39 month lease, 12k miles/year, $0 down:

You'll have to take my word for it that if you click through to "continue with lease" the payment goes up by $26, as it appears the $995 acquisition fee is not included. Here's my "leasing" spreadsheet to prove out the payment, as I am always compelled to do that with lease quotes:

Bear with me...

"Standard" lease deal on their website = $726/month versus my $563/month.

$163/month x 39 payments = $6,357

Negative equity rolled in = 632

Sales tax on rebates = 704

All adds up to about $7,500 (not exactly due to the interest included in those payments, right?).

Now, Q, you didn't know about those last two items...I didn't go into them, not because I was trying to conceal anything, but I wasn't trying to get too much into the weeds on the deal, and they're irrelevant to the deal itself.

So yes, the $7,500 rebate is reflected (net of taxes on said rebate) in lower payments and covering a bit of negative equity.

breld · April 2021

For what it's worth, I never would have committed to a $726/month lease payment. At a minimum I would have put down $1,500 for the state tax rebate I will receive and would also have paid for the negative equity (cause, well, that's my issue).

But given the generous rebate, I just went with the $0 down approach. The $1,500 tax credit next year will be a nice little bonus.

breld · April 2021

And finally, and then I'll move on...

I've had the pleasure of meeting a few individuals here in person (or at least over the phone), and I have become close friends with a couple.

I think they'll vouch for me that I'm a pretty humble, self-aware person. I am NEVER trying to boast about the financial side of a deal, and I try to be very transparent without oversharing in an awkward way (much like I'm doing right now

). I'm also very aware of how ridiculous most of my decisions are (both on principle and from a personal financial perspective).

My point in posting any interest in cars or actual purchases is simply to share the fun and passion. I'll post numbers because 1) it's requested and 2) it's always helpful to share that information as we are all educated buyers.

Alright...that's it. Much more and I may be blocked.

corvette · April 2021

@breld - thanks for the detailed explanation (it helps educate those of us who only occasionally lease). It looks like you got an incredible deal!

explorerx4 · April 2021

@breld,
Really like that blue and looking forward to your impressions of driving the Polestar.

henryn · April 2021

Initial impressions on moving from the 2016 Town and Country to the 2019 Pacifica.

1) It feels peppier. I’m guessing this is mainly due to the 9 speed transmission, as the engine is very similar.

2) It is quieter inside. A noticeable difference. When I was younger I would not have noticed or cared, but I do now.

3) The stereo sounds quite a bit better. I had upgraded the speakers in the T&C, so it would get louder and pump more bass, but it still sounded like you were inside a box. Probably because you were inside a box? The stereo in the Pacifica sounds more like you’re in a car, not an empty box.

4) The seats, seating arrangement, interior space are all quite similar. I wish the driver’s seat would go a little farther back, and a little lower, but I had exactly the same complaint about the T&C. Not bad, but could be better, for me at least.

5) I am going to have to rework the brakes. The pedal goes down a little too far before engaging, and then feels just a little mushy. The front pads look like they have been replaced, and the rotors are scored. Rear pads look original, but maybe 3/4 gone. I ordered new rotors and pads from Amazon. Total cost about $250, no big deal. I do believe in having good brakes and tires.

corvette · April 2021

henryn said:

5) I am going to have to rework the brakes. The pedal goes down a little too far before engaging, and then feels just a little mushy. The front pads look like they have been replaced, and the rotors are scored. Rear pads look original, but maybe 3/4 gone.

The pedal travel and mushiness sounds like air in the lines. Or, in the case of GM products from approximately the 1980s through the early 2000s, "they all do that."

henryn · April 2021

corvette said:

henryn said:

5) I am going to have to rework the brakes. The pedal goes down a little too far before engaging, and then feels just a little mushy. The front pads look like they have been replaced, and the rotors are scored. Rear pads look original, but maybe 3/4 gone.
The pedal travel and mushiness sounds like air in the lines. Or, in the case of GM products from approximately the 1980s through the early 2000s, "they all do that."

Could well be some air in the lines. I will flush / bleed the brakes while I'm in there. The T&C had the same brakes (the rotors and pads I just ordered would also fit the T&C), and the brake pedal was just fine on it.

And I picked up a second key fob this afternoon. Why is it car dealers always want to nick you 2 or 3 hundred if you don't have the second key fob, but they never have it for the car you're buying? Oh, well, I went back to the same guy I used 4 years ago when I bought the T&C. One used key fob, reprogrammed, emergency key cut, new battery, $200 cash, no receipt, thank you very much.

tjc78 · April 2021

@breld

Thanks for the detailed information. For some reason I thought you were saying they somehow doubled the rebate which then would have resulted in a much lower lease.

I was playing with the calculations and the math is basically what I came up with not knowing about the neg equity and that the rebate was taxed.

I always enjoy a little bit of lease calculations , lol.

omarman · April 2021

I'm a little disappointed in that spreadsheet. I was expecting to see the rarely applied loyalty incentive based on "How many Polestars have you parked in your driveway before?"

xwesx · April 2021

oldfarmer50 said:

xwesx said:

oldfarmer50 said:

explorerx4 said:
Rock salt? No wonder your vehicles rust away.
Sealed bags. In upstate NY you can get all the rust you need from the outside.
The only trick is that you need to keep adding another bag every couple of years to make up for the lost steel that flakes off and ends up on the road! Otherwise, your total weight steadily drops (and so does your traction).
LOL, yes but at some point anything you put in the back will drop through the rust holes so it’s an exercise in futility.

Hah! So true. The bed of my truck is that way now, but with wooden planks rather than metal. I actually have a sheet of 1/2" marine plywood down over the decking because more than half of it has fully rotted away. It's getting bad now. I need to get a new bed, but I have delayed for quite some time because I wanted to replace it when I was restoring the truck rather than just continuing to use it as a truck and mucking the whole thing up again.

Now that you mention it, though, this summer would be an excellent time to buy a new bed kit. Shipping to Alaska is horrendous for something like that, but I can get it for no shipping cost at all while I'm down there, then just haul it back in the trailer or on top of the car.

@oldfarmer50, you're a genius!

xwesx · April 2021

henryn said:
Initial impressions on moving from the 2016 Town and Country to the 2019 Pacifica.

1) It feels peppier. I’m guessing this is mainly due to the 9 speed transmission, as the engine is very similar.

2) It is quieter inside. A noticeable difference. When I was younger I would not have noticed or cared, but I do now.

3) The stereo sounds quite a bit better. I had upgraded the speakers in the T&C, so it would get louder and pump more bass, but it still sounded like you were inside a box. Probably because you were inside a box? The stereo in the Pacifica sounds more like you’re in a car, not an empty box.

4) The seats, seating arrangement, interior space are all quite similar. I wish the driver’s seat would go a little farther back, and a little lower, but I had exactly the same complaint about the T&C. Not bad, but could be better, for me at least.

5) I am going to have to rework the brakes. The pedal goes down a little too far before engaging, and then feels just a little mushy. The front pads look like they have been replaced, and the rotors are scored. Rear pads look original, but maybe 3/4 gone. I ordered new rotors and pads from Amazon. Total cost about $250, no big deal. I do believe in having good brakes and tires.

#3 - hilarious... and true!

On the brakes, it might be a good time for fluid replacement as well. As it imbibes moisture or gains air, it will get a bit "squishy." I need to do the same thing with my Q7 this year. It needs rotors more than pads, but I replaced pads three years ago... wait... FOUR years ago, and it's a pretty heavy rig.

Edit: Whoops! You and @corvette already covered that.

Sandman6472 · April 2021

Breld, I married a CPA and understand the logic of what you did and all. Makes total sense with your background. Every year, from January to April, she's super busy and ever since she started with TurboTax, it's a very quiet household as I kind of stay out of the way whenever I can. But she loves doing taxes, always has, and has the mind to be able to do them. She encouraged me to take an H&R Block tax class after I retired and it was really hard for me. I'd go to her for help & I could see how easy it was for her. I passed the class, just barely, but without her help, I would've been in a lot of trouble.
I enjoyed your statement about how "ridiculous some of your decisions are" and figured of course they both know that but it must be such a blast to have had so many cool vehicles to drive over the years! Folks like me certainly get a lot of entertainment with each new purchase because think deep down, we'd all like to be able to do some of that also. I know, I've always said that if I win the lottery, I'd like a house with 7 garages so I could have a different vehicle for each day of the week. I'd be in heaven!!
So keep up the good work and thanks for the great entertainment!! You guys rock!!

sda · April 2021

henryn said:

corvette said:

henryn said:

5) I am going to have to rework the brakes. The pedal goes down a little too far before engaging, and then feels just a little mushy. The front pads look like they have been replaced, and the rotors are scored. Rear pads look original, but maybe 3/4 gone.
The pedal travel and mushiness sounds like air in the lines. Or, in the case of GM products from approximately the 1980s through the early 2000s, "they all do that."
Could well be some air in the lines. I will flush / bleed the brakes while I'm in there. The T&C had the same brakes (the rotors and pads I just ordered would also fit the T&C), and the brake pedal was just fine on it.

And I picked up a second key fob this afternoon. Why is it car dealers always want to nick you 2 or 3 hundred if you don't have the second key fob, but they never have it for the car you're buying? Oh, well, I went back to the same guy I used 4 years ago when I bought the T&C. One used key fob, reprogrammed, emergency key cut, new battery, $200 cash, no receipt, thank you very much.

Only having one key/fob when I was told it had 2 for the Q5, I walked. About 10 minutes into my drive home the dealer called and said they would get the second key/fob. Glad I did as Audi wanted $500 for the replacement.

Sandman6472 · April 2021

Does anyone know if Tesla is coming out with a smaller electric vehicle in the next year or so? A co-worker said they were but haven't heard anything. After having driven one at work, really fell in love with the whole experience and would love to own one. I know Chevy is coming out with a couple new Bolt models sometime this year.
And is the government going to still give folks rebates for buying EV vehicles again? Think it would help defray some of the costs and make it easier for a lot of us to do so. I'd love at least a range of 300 miles but could live with at least 250. I no longer drive many miles per week so I'm a great candidate to own an EV vehicle going forward. Sure, the electric bill at home will go up some but think there would be an overall $ savings between the cost savings of not buying petrol and that of the extra electric costs. I for one, are willing to give it a try as long as we have one gas powered vehicle to use for those longer trips. From what I can tell, you guys seem to be very happy with an EV vehicle in the fleet.
Lastly, how hard is it to actually buy a new Tesla vehicle anyways?

Sandman6472 · April 2021

Looking like the Accent will be going to be fixed on May 24th. Definitely needs a new rear drivers side tail light assembly plus the rear quarter panel on the drivers side needs to be buffed out and possibly have the new paint blended in with the existing paint. I know when I had mine done back in 2018, the shop I used did a remarkable job of blending the blue paint as they had to cut a piece of the bent metal out behind the rear door and fix that before painting. They also put a newer rear door on the car and repaint that. Looks like nothing ever happened and very pleased. They just couldn't match that one metal door edge guard so they had to use what they could find. That's the only way one can tell I had work done on the car. Betting a good paint guy could tell, but who really knows. I used a Safeco preferred shop but this time, since the other drivers insurance is covering it all, we're going to a Progressive preferred shop near the house. Hoping it'll only take about 4 days but she'll be on vacation up here anyways, so no rental will be needed.
She has the dark gray color on her Accent which looks great when cleaned up. Hoping they just do a great job but it will be guaranteed for as long as she owns it, which was over 10 years on her last Accent.

corvette · April 2021

xwesx said:
It needs rotors more than pads, but I replaced pads three years ago... wait... FOUR years ago, and it's a pretty heavy rig.

On many European brands, the rotors will be at or below minimum spec at the time the pads wear out, so they are generally replaced at the same time. Good on you if you managed to get longer out of the rotors! The used 540i I bought had new-ish brake pads, but the front rotors cracked. Never got an exact measurement from the tire shop that found the problem and replaced the rotors, but I would bet money whoever serviced the brakes just replaced the pads without checking or replacing the rotors.

corvette · April 2021

The Wichita Car Mafia must be coordinating - Elliott Alvis, 100PercentJake, and Hoovie all dropped new YouTube videos within a few minutes of each other.

I agree on Hoovie's video - in what sane world could one buy a CPO Land Rover with 3-ish years of warranty remaining, burn through a year of the precious warranty, and then theoretically be able to sell it for more than they paid?

qbrozen · April 2021

breld said:
Alrighty - I was resisting the urge to do this, but I'm an accountant and like reconciliations...

My car, at an MSRP of $63,900, 39 month lease, 12k miles/year, $0 down:

You'll have to take my word for it that if you click through to "continue with lease" the payment goes up by $26, as it appears the $995 acquisition fee is not included. Here's my "leasing" spreadsheet to prove out the payment, as I am always compelled to do that with lease quotes:

Bear with me...

"Standard" lease deal on their website = $726/month versus my $563/month.

$163/month x 39 payments = $6,357

Negative equity rolled in = 632

Sales tax on rebates = 704

All adds up to about $7,500 (not exactly due to the interest included in those payments, right?).

Now, Q, you didn't know about those last two items...I didn't go into them, not because I was trying to conceal anything, but I wasn't trying to get too much into the weeds on the deal, and they're irrelevant to the deal itself.

So yes, the $7,500 rebate is reflected (net of taxes on said rebate) in lower payments and covering a bit of negative equity.

Alright. Well, there ya go. Hey, I wasn't crazy, it wasn't adding up. lol.

What are you trading to them? The Leaf?

I don't think you are boasting. If you were telling us about your $3700/mo porsche, welll....

qbrozen · April 2021

Some people have been getting pretty high buy offers on their Camaros (supposedly). I sent my info again for offers. Talked to one person through chat and told him if he offered $39k, I’d take it. He said he’ll let me know. That would put about $2k in my pocket after all is said and done. Hard to turn down a flip like that.

breld · April 2021

qbrozen said:

breld said:
Alrighty - I was resisting the urge to do this, but I'm an accountant and like reconciliations...

My car, at an MSRP of $63,900, 39 month lease, 12k miles/year, $0 down:

You'll have to take my word for it that if you click through to "continue with lease" the payment goes up by $26, as it appears the $995 acquisition fee is not included. Here's my "leasing" spreadsheet to prove out the payment, as I am always compelled to do that with lease quotes:

Bear with me...

"Standard" lease deal on their website = $726/month versus my $563/month.

$163/month x 39 payments = $6,357

Negative equity rolled in = 632

Sales tax on rebates = 704

All adds up to about $7,500 (not exactly due to the interest included in those payments, right?).

Now, Q, you didn't know about those last two items...I didn't go into them, not because I was trying to conceal anything, but I wasn't trying to get too much into the weeds on the deal, and they're irrelevant to the deal itself.

So yes, the $7,500 rebate is reflected (net of taxes on said rebate) in lower payments and covering a bit of negative equity.
Alright. Well, there ya go. Hey, I wasn't crazy, it wasn't adding up. lol.

What are you trading to them? The Leaf?

I don't think you are boasting. If you were telling us about your $3700/mo porsche, welll....

I’m actually trading the X3 - I like it plenty, but am fine hitting the reset button on the SUV and hopefully having the patience to wait the crazy market out before I replace it.

I don’t need the Leaf, but it’s cheaper to keep it or turn it in on an early term than trading it.

xwesx · April 2021

sda said:

henryn said:

corvette said:

henryn said:

5) I am going to have to rework the brakes. The pedal goes down a little too far before engaging, and then feels just a little mushy. The front pads look like they have been replaced, and the rotors are scored. Rear pads look original, but maybe 3/4 gone.
The pedal travel and mushiness sounds like air in the lines. Or, in the case of GM products from approximately the 1980s through the early 2000s, "they all do that."
Could well be some air in the lines. I will flush / bleed the brakes while I'm in there. The T&C had the same brakes (the rotors and pads I just ordered would also fit the T&C), and the brake pedal was just fine on it.

And I picked up a second key fob this afternoon. Why is it car dealers always want to nick you 2 or 3 hundred if you don't have the second key fob, but they never have it for the car you're buying? Oh, well, I went back to the same guy I used 4 years ago when I bought the T&C. One used key fob, reprogrammed, emergency key cut, new battery, $200 cash, no receipt, thank you very much.
Only having one key/fob when I was told it had 2 for the Q5, I walked. About 10 minutes into my drive home the dealer called and said they would get the second key/fob. Glad I did as Audi wanted $500 for the replacement.

I should have done the same. I was naive about the replacement cost.

Sandman6472 · April 2021

Wait a second, you've only had the vehicle for about 6 weeks and you might turn around and sell it? Wow, pretty impressive. Thought you liked it though? But I guess making a $2K profit in such a short time might be worth it all. But, wow is all I can say right now! Wow!!!

Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles